In some settings, endoscopic surgical instruments may be preferred over traditional open surgical devices since a smaller incision may reduce the post-operative recovery time and complications. Consequently, some endoscopic surgical instruments may be suitable for placement of a distal end effector at a desired surgical site through the cannula of a trocar. These distal end effectors may engage tissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect (e.g., endocutter, grasper, cutter, stapler, clip applier, access device, drug/gene therapy delivery device, and energy delivery device using ultrasonic vibration, RF, laser, etc.). Endoscopic surgical instruments may include a shaft between the end effector and a handle portion, which is manipulated by the clinician. Such a shaft may enable insertion to a desired depth and rotation about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, thereby facilitating positioning of the end effector within the patient. Positioning of an end effector may be further facilitated through inclusion of one or more articulation joints or features, enabling the end effector to be selectively articulated or otherwise deflected relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
Examples of endoscopic surgical instruments include surgical staplers. Some such staplers are operable to clamp down on layers of tissue, cut through the clamped layers of tissue, and drive staples through the layers of tissue to substantially seal the severed layers of tissue together near the severed ends of the tissue layers. Merely exemplary surgical staplers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,823, entitled “Pocket Configuration for Internal Organ Staplers,” issued Feb. 21, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,334, entitled “Surgical Stapler and Staple Cartridge,” issued May 16, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,895, entitled “Surgical Stapler Instrument,” issued Nov. 14, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,107, entitled “Surgical Stapler Instrument,” issued Jan. 28, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,432, entitled “Surgical Instrument,” issued May 27, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,840, entitled “Surgical Instrument,” issued Oct. 7, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,534, entitled “Articulation Assembly for Surgical Instruments,” issued Jan. 6, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,055, entitled “Surgical Clamping Mechanism,” issued Sep. 29, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,921, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Incorporating an E-Beam Firing Mechanism,” issued Dec. 27, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,818, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Having Separate Distinct Closing and Firing Systems,” issued Feb. 21, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,923, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Having a Firing Lockout for an Unclosed Anvil,” issued Dec. 5, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,108, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Incorporating a Multi-Stroke Firing Mechanism with a Flexible Rack,” issued Dec. 4, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,485, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Incorporating a Multistroke Firing Mechanism Having a Rotary Transmission,” issued May 6, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,695, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Having a Single Lockout Mechanism for Prevention of Firing,” issued Jun. 3, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,696, entitled “Articulating Surgical Stapling Instrument Incorporating a Two-Piece E-Beam Firing Mechanism,” issued Jun. 3, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,508, entitled “Surgical Stapling and Cutting Device,” issued Jul. 29, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,715, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument Having Multistroke Firing with Opening Lockout,” issued Oct. 14, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,930, entitled “Disposable Cartridge with Adhesive for Use with a Stapling Device,” issued May 25, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,439, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument with An Articulatable End Effector,” issued Apr. 2, 2013; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,453,914, entitled “Motor-Driven Surgical Cutting Instrument with Electric Actuator Directional Control Assembly,” issued Jun. 4, 2013. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. patents is incorporated by reference herein.
While the surgical staplers referred to above are described as being used in endoscopic procedures, it should be understood that such surgical staplers may also be used in open procedures and/or other non-endoscopic procedures. By way of example only, a surgical stapler may be inserted through a thoracotomy, and thereby between a patient's ribs, to reach one or more organs in a thoracic surgical procedure that does not use a trocar as a conduit for the stapler. Such procedures may include the use of the stapler to sever and close a vessel leading to a lung. For instance, the vessels leading to an organ may be severed and closed by a stapler before removal of the organ from the thoracic cavity. Of course, surgical staplers may be used in various other settings and procedures.
Examples of surgical staplers that may be particularly suited or use through a thoracotomy are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,067, entitled “Surgical Instrument End Effector Articulation Drive with Pinion and Opposing Racks,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,176,142,issued on Nov. 17, 2015; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,082, entitled “Lockout Feature for Movable Cutting Member of Surgical Instrument,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239041 on Aug. 28, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,106, entitled “Integrated Tissue Positioning and Jaw Alignment Features for Surgical Stapler,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,517,065, issued on Dec. 13, 2016; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,120, entitled “Jaw Closure Feature for End Effector of Surgical Instrument,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239036 on Aug. 28, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,162, entitled “Surgical Instrument with Articulation Lock having a Detenting Binary Spring,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239040 on Aug. 28, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,171, entitled “Distal Tip Features for End Effector of Surgical Instrument,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,622,746, issued Apr. 18, 2017; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,379, entitled “Staple Forming Features for Surgical Stapling Instrument,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239037 on Aug. 28, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,402, entitled “Surgical Instrument with Multi-Diameter Shaft,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239038 on Aug. 28, 2014; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/780,417, entitled “Installation Features for Surgical Instrument End Effector Cartridge,” filed Feb. 28, 2013, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0239044 on Aug. 28, 2014. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. patent applications is incorporated by reference herein.
While various kinds of surgical stapling instruments and associated components have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.